bill: 11 days, america. hirono: fox news alert. brand new numbers on the economy as americans set to choose their new president. just released data. commerce department shows a slight economic growth from september through july. not bad. but definitely not where we need for a healthy economy. 3% growth is what we need to see unemployment lines shrinking. well take inside the numbers. martha: martha maccallum. morning to you. a pickup in growth a credit in uptick in consumer spending. also to a burst in government spending and despite what looks like a positive number. i remember it was 1.3% last time around, some economists look at this say it was a bleak picture. besides defense spending,

business investment generally is flat. >> off 25% on three month annualized basis. we never seen that series drop by that magnitude at any time in the last 20 years without it leading to a slowdown in overall economic growth. >> they don't see a lot of hope in the immediate future. a lot of evidence, a lot of concerns for the future. so they're willing to sit pat. bill: fox business network stuart varney, with me. stuart, i look at 2% give you? >> it will give you a lot of spin. that number will be postively spun because the summer numbers, 2% are indeed better than the sprung numbers, there is improvement. 2% growth is nothing to write home about. it is still a slow economy. it is still the worst recovery from a major recession. it will still not get you a lot more jobs. that number, it is very likely to be revised and revised downward after the

election. bill: we've seen a lot of revisions over this. we mentioned government spending increased. what is that about? >> here you have a positive number, 2% growth. they will spin it postively right before the election. dig deeper. look inside the report, and see a 9% jump in government spending. there is some suspicion that these numbers have been juiced by government spending deliberately in that quarter, in the report, right before the election. bill: this is the number we have but what number do you need to have in order to show a stronger economy? >> the number we have is 2%. what we need is double that at least. bill: double? we just mentioned 3%. you're saying 4%? >> wait a second. 3% will get you a few more jobs. it will improve the unemployment situation. what you really need to have a robust recovery is 4% and to sustain that over a couple of years and maybe go to 5%, just like we had in the rebound from the recession in the early 1980s. 4% growth is what you need for robust recovery.

5% you got yourself a boom. bill: that was 30 years ago. we've grown at 4% more recently than that. what was the last time the economy was truly humming, 4% or greater? >> okay. in the last quarter of 2011, we achieved 4% growth. it lasted just 13 weeks. that is all it lasted. that is the only time during the obama years we've hit 4%. we haven't been at a sustained 4% level since the middle of the last decade. bill: wow. stuart, thank you. see you 9:20 on fbn. stuart varney. martha. martha: governor romney highlighting the economy on the campaign trail. he is set to deliver his closing arguments on that today in two critical swing states. governor romney will deliver a peach on the economy in ames, iowa. and then head to a critical battleground ohio at north canton ohio. ryan will go to north carolina and al obama

before meeting up with the governor in the buckeye state. the polls show neck-and-neck race for the iowa's six electoral votes. romney hopes the speech will win over some voters. john roberts is there. good morning. what can we expect from governor romney's closing argument today? >> reporter: hi, martha. talking about the economy, deficit, federal spending according to his campaign. here in ames, iowa talk about the struggles, the fact that we can't keep borrowing and spending our way to debt. the basic message from governor romney today and rest of the campaign he knows how to create jobs and grow the economy. according to a "washington post" poll out yesterday, people agree with him. voters give him a nine point advantage over president obama on the economy. governor romney also co-opting on the campaign trail, part at least, president obama's message from his 2008 campaign about change.

watch this. >> we have a big election and it is time for a big change, to draw on the quality of the american heart, to come together, for republicans and democrats to finally reach across the partisan divide and reach, and reach a place where we come together for the american people. i know how to do that. >> reporter: governor romney talking more and more about bipartisanship on the campaign trail. reminding people when he was governor of massachusetts and had to deal with a legislature that was 85% democrat, martha. martha: that's right. we've got both sides trying to influence that middle voter who might still be undecided at this point. president obama recently came out with a pamphlet on his plan for the economy. what do we expect on that front from him, john. >> reporter: he is every opportunity talking about his plans toe grow the economy as well. look at this event in ohio where air force one dropped in. you have a really good

background when you can do that. president obama is the one who has a real plan to create jobs as opposed to talking about them. in battleground ohio which is quickly becoming the focus of this campaign, dinging governor romney again for that 2008 editorial where he suggested that the best thing for the auto industry was let it go through bankruptcy. >> i mean i don't know how a guy sits on a stage talking to 10 of millions of fellow americans and you are saying somehow that you were all for the auto industry when everybody remembers you weren't. >> reporter: in truth what governor romney said in the editorial was that the auto industry couldn't just be given another bailout. it had to make some tough choices and tough changes. saying a managed bankruptcy with government backing was the best thing to save the auto industry in the long run, not to destroy it. martha? martha: yeah. they tried to and make sure that what they actually said was seen in a

clear light after that last debate. john, thank you so much. it looks like it is a little chilly in ames, iowa, this morning. john roberts on the campaign trail. governor romney will deliver the speech at 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon. coverage begins on "america live" with megyn kelly which begins at 1:00 p.m.. bill: paul ryan rallying supporters in virginia, 13 electoral votes there. he compared governor's plan to the president obama's economic record in charlottesville. >> here is the issue. he promise the economy would grow at 4.3% if we pass the stimulus. it is growing at 1.3%. we know if we go with more of same suite get more of the same with a debt crisis. these five agenda solutions are specific ideas to get people back to work. to get people who used to be

in the middle class in poverty back in the middle class. bill: ryan went on to warn president obama is proposing nothing different for four years, therefore the country should expect nothing different from him if reelected. martha: governor romney focusing a lot of energy on the critical swing state of ohio of course. ♪ . big crowd in defines, ohio. it is a small untown -- defiance. he says his debates with president obama have supercharged his campaign while he claims the president's campaign is shrinking. >> i enjoy to talk with the american people to let the american people see who i as opposed to what president obama says about me. those debates helped our campaign to get larger and larger and build a degree of momentum and support. the amazing thing the president's is getting smaller and smaller.

[cheers and applause] martha: the romney camp says they're seeing more and more supporters coming out for the governor, a very positive sign they say especially in the swing states critical to swinging this election. we'll see. bill: watch the crowds too. they can tell you a lot. here is a first, america. this year's race costing more than $2 billion. fund-raising record show that president obama and governor romney raising combined $1.7 billion. add to that some 300 million in super pac money. that does not take into account the $130 million in political ads from the so-called social welfare groups. compare that to 2008 which when adjusted for inflation cost $1.8 billion. that is more than the total 2012 federal funding cancer research organizations, money for breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate, brain, lung, pancreatic cancer. all adds up to a little less than what was spent this campaign season. martha: that is something to think about, right?

we are hearing from the father of one of the four americans who was killed in benghazi. speaking out on his meeting with president obama and secretary clinton just days after the attack when those bodies were brought home. the father of former navy seal tyrone woods, who you see pictured here, calling into the lars larsen radio show telling what he thought about his meeting with the president after his son was killed. >> when he came over to our little area, you know, i could tell he kind of just mumbled, i'm sorry. his face was looking at me but his eyes were looking over my shoulder, like he could not look me in the eye. and it was not sincere, i'm really sorry, you know, that your son died but it was totally insincere, more of a whining type, i'm sorry. and it was like just shaking hands with a dead fish. you know, i, it just didn't

feel right. and now it is colling out that apparently the white house situation room was watching our people die. this was happening. and that's, i haven't called any shows or anything but when i heard that this morning this is something i would really -- [inaudible] i hope the public does not forget that. martha: as he said he was reluctant to speak up. he didn't want the whole thing to be politicized but that is the account of an druce air force base when the bodies were brought home. you all remember those images. a very stirring day and difficult to assess the reaction of people who were there. president and members of the white house. you will hear later what hillary clinton said to him you may find somewhat surprising, he did. vice president joe bide, very strange reaction many might say, to mr. woods. so tyrone woods was in benghazi of course when that consulate was attacked.

he was in the annex. he was killed on the rooftop by mortar fire when he tried to protect the people that were evacuated and come to that building. house speaker john boehner is calling on president obama to explain the administration's response. we'll speak with congressman mike rogers who has been out in front of this whole situation since day one. he is chairman of house intelligence committee from libya. he will join us a little while. bill: we'll see him at the half hour. meantime we're getting going on a friday. the son of a virginia democrat now under investigation for possible voter fraud. this time it was caught on tape. martha: unfortunately for him. a new warning of a monster storm that threatens the east coast. experts say it could be a big one. >> they were saying that the new jersey has never experienced anything to this magnitude before. that's why we're monitoring it very, very closely. >> because it's such a large area, you're just going to have lots of people affected. are you receiving a payout from a legal settlement

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martha: reports out there that things are looking a bit shaky for democrats in nebraska. a hope for former revival of former u.s. senator bob kerrey, gives a republicans a chance to win a democratic seat at least by the polls. deb fisher enjoys a solid lied over kerrey with less than two weeks to go. republicans need to net four seats to take control of the senate if president obama is reelected and three if governor romney wins. bill: governor romney is making what is considered a closing argument on the american economy. you will see that live this afternoon in iowa. mary katharine ham, editor-at-large for hotair.com, a juan williams, political analyst are both fox news contributors. what is happening you two? bono is u2 but you are bigger than bono. romney will say, 23 million

people are out of work or looking for work. 4 million people on food stamps up from four years ago. he will argue 16 trillion of debt in the past four years. that is his closing argument, right? >> his argument beyond that i have a plan. he will go over the five-point plan. he will make it very explicit. his main issue hey check out the last four years we're five trillion more in debt than we were when we started. are you better off than you were five trillion ago? i'm not sure the answer is yes for very many people. that is what he able to gain ground on in the performance in the first debate. folks did not expect to see a guy they thought they could trust and put economy in his hand. people are turning on that. if you see "the washington post" abc poll this week he is gaining significant ground, romney not only on trusting to handle the economy i actually think you might understand my economic problems which he really trailed obama.

bill: abc poll had it 50-44% romney over obama when it comes to the economy. >> that is big deal. even tied on the top line that underlying result is good. bill: you mentioned a plan couple times in the answer there. juan, what is it about the plan on the obama side that has been picked apart and criticized past couple weeks? what republicans say there is no plan for the next four years. >> well, obviously what the obama team has said, and they just put out this shiny 20-page booklet, bill, the president wants to emphasize not only increasing exports but to build up the manufacturing base. put a lot of money into educating our workforce. he says he has a plan but the criticism is that, where is the meat on this bone? exactly how are you going to do it. the same criticism that can actually be extended to what mitt romney says, when he says i'm going to create 120,000 jobs, people say, yeah the economy will basically do that but what is it you specifically want to do. bill: he will lay that out.

i think the number he gives is 12 million new jobs. that is what he is saying. >> what we're seeing in the polls this morning is very interesting, just as mary katherine was saying you see increased numbers per of americans saying they really trust mitt romney on the economy and, a smaller margin that used to be a plus nine for obama in terms of empathy he understands ordinary people like me that number is shrinking now to plus five but largely among white men. again that could be determinative. bill: watch that story, juan. i mean that's really starting to show itself. >> yeah. bill: in a lot of these pollings, that demographic. i want to move quickly if i could, mary katherine, to this ad apparently a lot of folks are going to see real soon. this is pro-obama actress talking about why she voted for obama in 2008. here's part of it. >> first time shouldn't be with just anybody. >> you want to do it with a great guy. should be with a guy with beautiful, someone that really cares about and

understands women. bill: goes on from there. there is lot more inthere, frankly. runs about a minute. as a woman how do you react to that. >> it is a get-out-the-vote effort for young unmarried women. the gender gap frankly is closing for romney in many polls they see. they're scared about that. i could do without about do it with a great guy ad. i think maybe you shout that out to your --. bill: what are you driving for there? >> hold on i would like to say that my first time was against john edwards. so i was young and smart. i knew one when i saw one. bill: nice human are. what is behind this? how will that be received, the innuendo in that ad? >> well, i think, you know it caught my attention. just made mary katherine laugh. so i think for older audience, wow, this is too provocative, for young people it is kind of attention grabbing achieves the goal making them want to get out and vote in that is

different. this is lot like, this opens the door to lots of criticism for president obama, a lot like going on shows like "the view" and mtv. bill: there is lot of that going on. you know what the intention behind that is? to show people i'm still popular and people like me. i've got to run. thanks to both of you. ultimately all likelihood comes back to the abc poll where 60% of the americans feel the economy is poor at the moment. >> yeah. bill: juan thanks. mary katherine. thanks. >> stay dry, bill. bill: will do. martha: here we go again. another solar company that got hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer loans has gone bust. now abound solar is also under criminal investigation as we hear a lot more about new green jobs in the next administration. we'll be back.

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martha: an embarrassing

split cal set back for veteran democratic congressman james moran. his 23-year-old son, patrick, resigning from his ren after getting caught on video apparently how they would commit voter fraud. he was secretly recorded by conservative activists posing at campaign volunteers. moran initially resisted their questions about casting illegal ballots before offering tips on forging i.d.'s. he claims at no point did he think they were serious. let's bring in a senior legal fellow with the heritage foundation and county election official in virginia. hands, welcome. good to have you here. >> good morning. martha: when you listen to this he sort of brushes them off in the beginning. basically if you do that you better get it right. what do you make of that? >> well, look, he then ends up giving them pretty detailed instructions how to forge a utility bill, which

he can then use to get around virginia's voter i.d. law. and also said that if you're challenged, don't worry. there will be lawyers there from obama for america and they will help support you. martha: he says, you know, afterwards, he is 23 years old, and he was working for his dad's re-election campaign as we point out, he doesn't endorse any sort of illegal or unethical behavior. this came from him. in hindsight i should have immediately walked away making it clear there is no place in the electoral process suggesting illegal behavior, joking or not. he is suggesting that he was kidding around. never meant for this to be a serious exchange. >> oh, please. this is long individual yo -- video. it is 26 minutes. it is not very short. he was not kidding around. he was giving the guy instructions how to cast fraudulent ballots. and by the way, that's a felony under federal law. attempting to procure

fraudulent ballots is a violation of the law and it is something that should be investigated by the u.s. attorney. martha: how does this affect the landscape in virginia, if at all? >> well look about a week and a half ago i was actually criticized in "the washington post" because i said that virginia's voter i.d. law was weak because it allowed things like utility bills. well this shows, in fact that was right. and it's a very close state. nobody knows who is going to win the state right now. even a little bit of fraud could perhaps make the difference in the outcome. martha: all right. hans, very interesting. we'll see how it goes. everybody is watching your state very closely. thanks for being here today. >> thank you. bill: we're also watching a monster threatening the northeast during halloween week. we have new projections today show hurricane sandy could merge with another system into one giant storm. martha: another halloween scare like last year perhaps. bill: good luck with that. martha: an urgent plea for the president to explain his response to the deadly

attack in libya. house intelligence committee chairman mike rogers is here with us live. >> clearly the initial briefings that we received from the cia, and from the dni included in the congressional briefing were inconsistent with what information we see unfolding today.

bill: look out and watch this story. a super storm heading toward the east coast. hurricane sandy one of three

major weather system that might combine to create one major storm. and if so it will take aim at one of the most densely populated areas of the country on the east coast. concerns it could hammer areas hit hard by hurricane irene. that was in august of 2011. crews are now getting ready for that. have a listen. >> just taking precautions. 75 yards off the river. full moon tide, hurricane, a lot of wind. it is going to come. just a matter how much. >> you get cinder blocks. we put stuff upstairs. like big stuff like tvs couches tables. stuff in the kitchen we move in case the water gets super high. >> try to be as prepared as you can. there are only some things you can do. we hope and pray the storm goes east. bill: those folks are in florida. janice dean in the fox news extreme weather center where she will stay until tuesday or wednesday of next week. >> or thursday. bill: what do you see right now, jd? >> as you mentioned we've

got a lot of things coming together. we have kind of an atmospheric traffic jam that will allow this storm system to move northward and back up into the coast. this is the arctic cold front that will kind of break down as it moves eastward. that will allow this system to move westward. so right now, a hurricane 80 miles an hour, this is sandy. it will become extratropical. we'll have a tropical storm inside of a nor'easter if you can believe it. that is what we're dealing with. the perfect storm. the hurricane sandy still thinking it would be a category one storm over the next several days as it hugs the coastline. as i mentioned we have the cold front breaking down an allow for the system to backtrack and back door its way into the northeast. the heaviest populated corridor really in the country from d.c. through philadelphia and new york. you need to be on alert because we're going to see winds, 40, 50, 60 miles an hour, pounding for hours. a high seas rip current,

beach erosion. heavy rain flooding and storm surge will be an issue. this is a huge storm. so 300 miles away from the center of the storm, gale-force winds, piling water up against the shore. if this is long island, that will cause some big problems. high winds, tree, power lines down. we could have millions without power for days if not weeks if this proves to verify what we are dealing with right now in terms of the computer models did. property damage likely. transportation disruptions. remember irene. they shut down the subway system in new york. i predict they will do the same. this could be a long duration event which could cause, massive, massive problems for such a heavily populated area. bill. bill: i'm in a good mood now. anything else? >> i wish i had better news. the best thing is, i just want people to prepare for the worst. bill: fair point. >> hope that i am wrong. bill: thank you, janice. >> okay. bill: happy halloween. boo. so how much disruption could

this cause? it is taking aim at a section of the east coast home to nearly 42 million people. more than 13% of the entire u.s. population. it is a big one on the radar already. we'll watch it move to see which way it goes but warnings are out there now. hope for the best. >> not looking good for us at all, bill. all right back to this big story right now. house speaker john boehner is now calling on president obama to explain his administration he is response to the deadly consulate attack in libya. in a letter, speaker boehner wrote this. quote, no one in your administration can substitute for your authority and voice, to explain to the american people the strategy and policies that you directed during and in the aftermath of the terrorist attack. michigan republican mike rogers is the chairman of the house intelligence committee and he joins me now. chairman, good morning. good to have you back on the program. >> good morning the, martha. martha: he raises an issue

in terms of this what the president was doing during and after this attack. because there has been a question, liz cheney was on with us the other day, i want to know was the president up all night while the drone was showing what was going on the ground there minute by minute with hillary clinton up all night watching this? do you expect any answers will come from the white house for speaker boehner? >> well, i hope so, martha. you think about this. they have had a long list of people they tried to assign blame to. it got longer including the romney campaign about this particular event. they even blamed the fog of war. i think the president coming out and having an honest discussion with the american people can remove the fog of politics that have surrounded this whole event. why that's so important is we've got intelligence officials, military special operators around the world, diplomats and their employees at the embassies, looking back and hoping america is standing with them. it is really hard to come to that conclusion and that's

the case give the confusion and just deafening silence on this particular issue. we have had two terrorist attacks on embassies. one on the 11th, one on the 13th in tunisia. no discussion by the president to try to set the record straight and refocus those individuals on what the real threat is and that's al qaeda. so this, november 6 needs to be taken off the table for the president. he needs to show u.s. leadership, a commitment to the folks risking their lives for the country and send a very clear signal to al qaeda, wherever they find you, we will not tolerate this anywhere in the world. martha: you bring up such a significant point because people, might think, when they hear this here and there, it is about hammering the white house and their reaction because we're in election season. i think it is deeper than that. you just touched on that. that is the question of how strong is al qaeda in this region? what do we need to be aware of in terms of what their actions tell us about, about their strength there?

now november 15th the senate intelligence committee has announced they will host a closed hearing. what do we know about that? who do we expect will be questioned in the closed hearing? do we have any information? >> we had some preliminary discussions. i think you see a host of intelligence officials that would be in line with the jurisdiction of the committee. and that is good and it should happen. we already on the house committee engaged in a review of all the materials. so we have requested and received security cables leading up to the event and subsequent to the event. martha: would that include, pardon my interruption, would that include james clapper or leon panetta or mr. brennan from the white house? would those be on the list. >> i think mr. brennan should show up. i'm not sure he will. as national security council member they are rarely called to testified. they're always advisor to the president. there is always discussion about why that is important. here is the other part of this, martha, why that is

important. we need to get to the bottom of it. american ambassador dead. america deserves the truth but i'll tell you the 9/11 commission after the first 9/11 event killed 3,000 americans, one of the catalysts they talked about, that is, why we need to remove this fog of politics from this was that on december, in 2000 when the uss cole was struck and over a dozen u.s. sailors killed in a terrorist at talk by usama bin laden the united states never responded. what they said was, because of that, al qaeda felt emboldensed. they didn't think there would be any repercussion engaging in more and bigger attacks. we saw what happened in september 2001. a bold and bigger attack. we have to get so to the very bottom of this now. the information is flying over the transom to my committee and professional intelligence officials and diplomats are saying this is

not right. we've got to get it right. martha: i want to play a quick little bit of sound. get your reaction. this is from tyrone woods father. >> it was not sincere that i'm sorry your son died. it was totally insincere more after whining type, i'm sorry. and it was just like shaking hands with a dead fish. here is what hillary did. she came over, and she did the same thing. separately came over to and talked with me. i gave her a hug, shook her hand. she did not appear to be one bit sincere at all. martha: this is just one man's take. his son was killed in that attack. i'm just curious your reaction to what he said? >> well it is unfortunate, i'm sorry he feels that way. i'm frustrated with the commander-in-chief for not living up to his duty and obligation to comfort the families that you have put in harm's way. that is one of the key things that you have to do,

if you're going to ask people to go into harm's way, and ultimately give their life for their country, the least that can happen is, the right amount of emotion and condolence to try to comfort that family, that that person did not die in vain. it is always hard to hear those stories. every member of congress who i know attend funerals of those killed in action in their own districts it is a hard thing to do. i'm not saying it is easy but it is on easy thing to do to show the true emotion about what that person has given for their country and sacrifice not only of the individual but their family, who has lost so much and have a permanent scar in "the cost of freedom." it is disappointing to hear that both were insincere like that. i just tell you. it sends a horrible message to the people who are risking their lives all over the world. martha: most of the families have not spoken out about that day at an druce. he was only compelled too when he heard the drone situation play itself out.

who knows what is in the minds and hearts of president and hillary clinton. this is to put out there what the reaction of that man was. that's why we say that. congressman thanks. >> thanks, martha. bill: mitt romney make as major speech on the economy today. later tonight he back in, where he is, back in the state of ohio. in a moment what is key today on the billboard as mitt romney makes his final pitch. >> the obama campaign doesn't have a plan. the obama campaign is slipping because he is talking about smaller and smaller things. despite the fact that america has such huge challenges, and that this is such an opportunity for america. and that's why, on november 6th i'm counting on ohio to vote for big change. [cheers and applause] ♪

♪

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an unthinkable tragedy for a new york city family. police say a mother of three returned home with her youngest child on manhattan's upper westside yesterday to find her 2-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter she left with the nanny stabbed to death. their bodies were lying in a bathtub. >> it's scary. very, very frightening. >> make you think, how much you can trust people. >> you hear a lot of screaming, like panic screaming. martha: oh, my god. investigators say that the children's nanny stabbed herself in the neck and was on the bathroom floor with a kitchen knife nearby. the nanny is in critical condition in new york hospital. no charges have been filed yet. an awful, awful, awful story. now we turn our attention back to the election and we go up to bill. bill: martha, thank you. going to go back to ohio again today because that will be the focus later tonight for mitt romney and paul ryan. it will also be the focus for paul ryan throughout the

entire weekend. eight stops in ohio on saturday and sunday. so 18 electoral votes in the state of ohio, going back to 2008. this went blue. it went for president obama over john mccain at 52-47%. why is ohio such a key? because you look at the what if scenarios for both campaigns, whomever wins ohio has a much clearer shot at winning the white house. it is just the way the map looks as of today. what is interesting about what we've seen in ohio just yesterday, governor romney was down here in hamilton county, cincinnati. a lot of republican votes down here. but this is the largest county to flip from four years ago with president obama beating senator mccain by eight points. but, right around this area, outside of cincinnati, a lot of republican votes in the collar counties of cincinnati. if romney has a shot he needs to drive those numbers up just like george bush did back in 2004. for paul ryan he will hit this part of the state over next couple dice.

back up along the western border with indiana. republicans believe john mccain did well there four years ago, but to win the state you have to do a lot better than what mccain turned out four years ago in ohio. i think this is interesting. in defiance, ohio, late last night governor romney had a rally. mccain won 10 points here. not a ton of votes out here but governor romney had a rally with 12,000 people that showed up at a football stadium in defiance. contrast in the president last night in the place he will get all the votes in ohio, cuyahoga county in cleveland. air force one late last night had same number of turnout, 12,000 people in cleveland. just a small data point along the map here as we try to figure out which way the state is going and which way it is leaning. so that's a quick preview. want to go to stephen hayes right now with me. steven, good morning to you. >> good morning, bill. bill: stark county in the northeast later tonight for

a romney rally with paul ryan. what do you think of the analysis and how you see ohio at the moment? >> i will be there. i will be in stark county. i think it is dead on. i think, there's a reason everybody everywhere is talking about ohio and it is because as you suggest, the path is just so much easier for either candidate. i think for president obama, if he wins ohio, the obama team believes that that is almost what they need to assure victory. i'm not sure that's correct. i think there are ways mitt romney could win without ohio. but certainly ohio makes that path much, much easier. bill: you will get a good sense on the ground. we'll be there later in the weekend broadcasting early next week. watch the three biggest counties. may seem obvious to do that. between hamilton, franklin, cuyahoga counties you have cincinnati, columbus and cleveland. i think very early into the night on november 6th watch the returns especially from cuyahoga and franklin county. compare them to returns of four years ago. you will get an idea whether or not president obama will

hold the state or lose it. >> i think that's exactly right. go back and look at the 2004 turnout and 2004 models to see if president obama is maintaining his advantage, particularly in cuyahoga county but elsewhere as well. if he is keeping that advantage in cuyahoga county or, increasing it which i think very few people expect, would suggest a very good night for him in ohio and perhaps elsewhere. bill: you got it. steve, have a good weekend. enjoy that. coming up at 10:00 hour we'll talk about your state wisconsin examine that. >> thanks, bill. bill: martha. martha: another green energy company going bust after taking hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer loans. now this company is also under criminal investigation we're learning and congress wants some answers. we'll be right back. but don't just listen to me. listen to these happy progressive customers. i plugged in snapshot, and 30 days later, i was saving big on car insurance. with snapshot, i knew what i could save before i switched to progressive.

the better i drive, the more i save. i wish our company had something this cool. you're not filming this, are you? aw! camera shy. snapshot from progressive. test-drive snapshot before you switch. visit progressive.com today.

martha: we are back. there's a new criminal investigation that is surrounding a government-backed solar company that went belly-up. a whistle-blower now accusing a company known as abound solar for falsifying documents and making solar panels that would catch fire on the roofs of customers. that is not what is supposed to happen, right? this after the company received $400 million in federal loan guarantees. here we go again you say. dan springer in colorado. it does sound, dan, a lot like what we heard from solyndra. >> reporter: yeah, martha, there are similarities. that debacle cost taxpayers $500 million. this one cost us $70 million two investigations are surrounding abound. one is criminal investigation in the county. d.a. is looking at allegations that they committed securities fraud by not telling investors

about manufacturing defects before taking their money. they want to know what the department of energy knew about product flaws and when they knew it. employees said there were major problems to the panels known basically to everyone several months before the loan was finalized. >> there were certain problems with the kind of solar panel they were making. we heard one from employee, whistle-blower employee, that the solar panels worked fine as long as you didn't put them in the sun. >> reporter: what were some of the problems? they weren't puttings out energy they were expected to and catching fire, some of those panels. martha: unbelievable. this raise as question whether or not the government should invest in independent companies and up to do the analysis of them needed in order to make these investments. what kind of political support were they getting? >> reporter: abound got political support from both sides of the aisle. republicans in indiana that were supporting this because abound was saying they would build a plant there.

perhaps most important supporter was big-time political donor whose foundation gave abound millions of dollars. bohemian companies is chaired by pat striker. according to the center for responsive politics she has given democrats $500,000 over the last five years including $85,000 to president obama. >> she is listed in the white house logs three times. and all of those times come around key points in the process of abound solar getting this loan. >> reporter: and our calls to pat stryker were not returned. the doe would not comment on the two investigations other than to say they are prop crating. -- cooperating. martha. martha: appears he is in time warp. winter where he is and fall where we are. bill: new numbers on the economy. brand new reaction from the romney campaign. chris wallace will analyze next. >> i promised a new beginning. so far it is only a beginning. if the job were finished, i

might have thought twice about seeking re-election for this job.

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martha: fox news alert for you this morning. a slight uptick in economic growth. a new gdp report out, and it shows an improvement of 2%. most economists believe that you need 3% to show actual economic growth and an economy. we are not there yet. both presidential candidates expected to seize on these numbers on the campaign trail. trying to spin the results each to their own favor. a brand-new our of "america's newsroom" starts right now. happy friday, everybody. bill: i am bill hemmer, good morning. another report on the jobless numbers. that will be a thing that governor romney picks up on in the next couple of hours. a stop on the campaign trail and

noohio. romney swimming president obama for making this election about small things. >> he is talking about board games and protecting the characters on sesame street and attack after attack, when he knows simply through and through -- it is an incredibly shrinking campaign right before your very eyes. this is a time when america is as big challenges. we want a president who actually brings big changes. i will, and he won't. martha: a mitt mitt romney in front of a big crowd. chris wallace joins us now. boy, this is a squeaker. when you look at the economy, it has been the forefront issue throughout the course of this campaign. we have gdp numbers this morning. one more jobs number into the mix next friday. how does this look to you? >> in terms of the jobs come i'm

not sure people are going to sit there and say, oh, my god, it is 5%. that has been a very tepid number. i just saw something come across our internal newswire outfox. apparently there was a big spike in government spending in the third quarter. 9.6% increase in government spending. now, you can argue that that is spending be needed to get done. but maybe they wanted to get it done before we hit the fiscal cliff. maybe it is to boost economic output before the election. which is certainly what i suspect some republicans are going to say. i do not think this is a number that you can boost with the obama campaign, and it continues a sense that we are in a very slow and tepid recovery. martha: when you look at some of these polls out there, president obama below the 50% level. when you look historically, that

is a significant place for an incumbent to be. when you go state by state in the swing states, president obama does seem to maintain a slim edge in several of those. how close do you think this is going to go? how is the over all things dealing to you at this point, 11 days out, chris? >> one of two things is going to happen. either it will be a nail biter right to the end, if i had to guess, that is what i guess it would be. it is so close in these swing states, but it really is a question of turnout. if it is one or two points, it doesn't matter. at that point, it becomes a matter of ground game. you can get more numbers to the polls than the other side can. it's a war to break one side or the other, i would guess that it would break for mitt romney. we have seen that historically. sometimes at the last minute, most famously reagan in 1980. at the last minute, people decide that we have given the incumbent enough chances.

i want change. i think it is not a coincidence that you see mitt romney trying to make this a big election about big change. he is basically saying that we don't have to be this way. let's change this. i am not predicting that's the way it will happen, but if it were to break big i would bet on romney rather than obama speak you what's coming up on sunday, chris? >> we are looking at a swing state showdown. we will have a number of key senators. rob portman from ohio, mark udall from colorado. a bunch of the swing state senators to tell us what's going on in their state. ground game, early voting, absentee balloting, the key issues on the economy, what are the key issues when it comes to foreign policy. we have a real sense from the ground as to where people stand in ohio, colorado, virginia, and other key swing states speak it sounds great, chris. we will be there. we will get reaction here in "america's newsroom."

senator jim talent will be talking. 1:00 p.m. eastern on fox news. let's go to bill because he's back up at the touchscreen and he is looking at the state that some republicans argued that could be in play this year. >> i want to go to the billboard right now and talk about a state that is starting to pop up in analysis that perhaps this is a chance for republicans to take a state that hasn't been republican since 1984. on the map behind us from all 11 states and gray are too close to call. of these battleground states, look at wisconsin appear. wisconsin is one of them. in 2008, the president had no problem winning the state. sixteen points over senator mccain.

but what you are seeing over the next couple of days, joe biden has scheduled two events in wisconsin for today alone. earlier today, the white house announced that president obama will be in wisconsin this coming week. in fact, early next week. if that schedule holds, you have to ask your questions. if you follow the candidates, where are they going and why? wisconsin was in play before paul ryan was on the under card of the vp vp vp nominee, before scott walker, republican governor, was the only governor in the history of the country to win a recall vote. these 10 electoral votes, as you gain in the system and try to map and figure out who is going to win where -- late in the night on november 6, wisconsin could play date in the 10 electoral votes. martha, back to you. martha: very interesting. bill: also, we are keeping an eye on the storm. it could be the most dangerous than 25 years.

two storms are about to come together as a super storm. deadly hurricane sandy is targeting the florida coast. folks are bracing for the worst. phil keating is live at fort lauderdale international both show. >> a lot of expensive boats here. this hurricane is now 200 miles east of florida. it remains open to all of these super and mega-yachts. some featuring helicopters onboard. nobody wants to see what happens. the day bay is beaten and battered and have something out of those outer winds from hurricane sandy were raging miami-dade county. as the hurricane heads northbound, the impact in florida is going to be an area for tropical storms and fort lauderdale this morning.

it marked commutes to work. school was canceled in broward, palm beach, and miami-dade county this week. people are taking this very seriously as it moves north down. hurricane sandy remains far enough offshore florida that the impact is going to be a lot of rain and wind throughout all day today. bill: thank you, we will be in touch throughout the week and weekend. martha: talking politics in the swing state of florida. there could be a crucial point in deciding who wins this election. florida has a treasure trove of electoral votes. twenty-nine of them, which is a huge chunk when you are trying to get a lot of them. and hillsborough county, florida, is a battleground county. we have more from steve on all

of this. reporter: good morning, mark. political scientists start to get excited when they talk about hillsboro county. they talk about it is being the linchpin. we are talking to some small business owners. >> at 42 years old, she went back to college and with her for her kids. >> they beat romney see something more in the broader picture of how to get this economy going. this is as flat and she has concerns about the man she is backing for president.

>> while they may differ politically, none of the entrepreneurs is satisfied. and they share a gut feeling and a worry for americans that they are getting soft. >> i don't think that i realize. lord knows. >> i don't want my children growing up in an environment where they feel like handouts -- they are entitled to handouts. i want them to work hard and live the american dream because they have earned it. >> you really get the sense for both of these women just how important this election is to them. they are working so hard at the american dream. martha: what a very interesting couple of discussions with those women. steve harrigan from florida. bill: 11 days now, america. polls show a razor tight rate. the female voters in key swing states will tell you what that is all about.

martha: and the senate has announced hearings on the deadly attack on the consulate at libya. bill: we might already be feeling the effects of the so-called fiscal cliff and the massive government cuts meant to ease our ballooning debt. they may be costing american jobs two no leadership that we will face with the fiscal cliff, when tax rates go up on january 1, sequester hits on january 2. or the need to hit the debt president obama has been awol. he has been campaigning a year ago since yesterday delicious and wholesome. some combinations were just meant to be. tomato soup from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do.

will

bill: we are only 15 months away from the fiscal cliff. but we are already feeling the economic growth slowing. nearly 1 million jobs are wiped out the year alone. things will get worse if we fail to avert backlit.

another 6 million jobs could be lost through the year 200 -- 2014. bill: martha: the senate announces they should have hearings on the deadly consulate attacked in libya. but the timing is raising some eyebrows. people have been looking for answers, but these hearings won't even get started until after the election. former u.s. ambassador john bolton. good morning, ambassador, good to see you. >> good morning, martha, it's good to be with you. martha: when you make of that announcement? >> it gives that gives him the ability to say they are investigating, we are cooperating, what is the problem? obviously, not having the hearing before november 6 is certainly convenient. the white house argument that talking about this issue,

talking about what contributed to the tragedy in benghazi, to say that is political and we are politicizing the tragedy, we have americans in the middle east now two are still at risk. some have even less protection than the diplomats. there is real urgency to this. it is consistent with the administration's behavior since september 11, that they are reacting in a very passive fashion. martha: what you make about this ongoing debate, about the military reaction? i have heard people criticize that we have not sent someone in there to help them out during the six hours or so that all of this played out. i have heard other military folks say that what could be done was done. >> i think this issue itself is actually much more important than the debate over whether the riots, the demonstration, the

terrorist attack is caused by this ridiculous youtube video, or whether it was a planned terrorist attack from the beginning. the evidence is overwhelming. not only that it was a planned terrorist attack, but the administration knew that essentially in real-time on september 11. the larger question why the administration has continually refused a request for security enhancements from embassy tripoli, why moore was not done on september 11, and thereafter -- i think we actually know less about the american side at this point. in some respects that we do about the terrorist side. i think it is important that we should not look back on this is a historical matter. where we know only one facility was attacked and only for seven hours. this was a whole wave of attacks across the region. yet the response was only very fitful. most likely because the pentagon and we automatically put into effect contingency plans,

thankfully it has for a whole variety of circumstances. not because there was decisiveness and action directed by the white house. martha: i think most people just want to see the situation with clear eyes we can be ready and prepared and we understand what is going on with al qaeda on the ground and other potential threats as he pointed out. i spoke with mike rogers and he said when you look back at history and the uss cole bombing, they claimed later in documents that were found and discussions that were found, that because there was no reaction to that for a while, no retaliation, he felt emboldened by it. his concern is because we haven't done anything, that the same thing might happen. what do you think? >> i think there is a real risk of that. maybe the administration is planning some kind of military response. it hasn't looked that way, it looks that they're going to treat it once again as a law enforcement matter. i hope they are preparing a

military response that would be just about the only military secret they have kept it is going. think back to 1979. not only did we have diplomats and tehran taking hostage. but we had our ambassador assassinated. so there was a whole series of things that happened that year, and i think you have to say that we are at risk of others saying that they haven't responded to the attack in benghazi let's see what we can do. so bret baier is continuing to investigate exactly what happened in benghazi, libya. they have some new information they are working will bring it to you over this weekend. new revelations airs this weekend beginning saturday at 1:00 o'clock eastern on the fox news channel. we look forward to seeing more on that.

>> when you see it online, you can watch the timeline. to see how it unfolds. it puts a whole new perspective on what was going on. it really encourage us to check that out. bill: there is a new report showing a record number of americans are collecting federal disability benefits. what is behind the huge increase? we will have that for you next. martha: and the nominees willing over the crucial women's vote heard but that's from a look at how campaigns are fighting for the female voters in the critical state of ohio. >> this president has failed america's women. they suffered in terms of getting jobs and falling into poverty.

martha: now for something that we haven't been covering, vermont's court has convicted this woman of tax evasion, and has been given a four-year prison sentence. the former prime minister of italy. it ended up being the tax evasion that brought down the sentencing for him. we will see what happens from here in terms of appeals and all of that. >> recent polling numbers show president obama's fight for the electoral numbers. franklin county, columbus, ohio,

my, mike, were you finding out their? reporter: different names have been applied in the past. you heard soccer moms. you heard the title waitress moms. one thing is certain is that micro- targeting has been such an important part of the campaign. women's voices are being heard, and nowhere more so than ohio. 65% of voters are women. no voter is more sought after than the female ohio swing voter. >> did you ever think you would end up a special? >> no, not at all. the campaigns are coming at it from every angle. >> the intended message is that a conservative presidency would set women back and pose a danger to women's health. >> i am a single gal. my concern is that i want the

job security and that sort of thing. it is hugely important to me. >> conservative groups are operating with a strategy that women voters are concerned with the same thing men are. >> they're worried about their education for their kids, their husband, the economy is driving these issues. not this trumped up war on reproductive rights and et cetera. i don't think that's a winning message for the other side. >> spending a few days with female voters here, the concerns are diverse. abortion, contraception, health issues. many of them also prioritize a roof over their head and gas in the car. bill: mike is live in columbus, ohio. martha: we got some new numbers

today. health of the economy. democrats and things are getting better, but is it enough to get people back to work? how many government jobs are included in? we will talk about that next. bill: and a possible international incident brewing in texas. greg abbott telling u.n. observers to stay out of the ann lone star state or else.ce what is that all about? sharks, or jumping into the marke he goes with people he trusts, which is why he trades with a company that doesn't nickel and dime him with hidden fees. so he can worry about other things, like what the market is doing and being ready, no matter what happens, which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense, from td ameritrade. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses,

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martha: bill: 10:30 a.m. in new york. we have a new number tomorrow for you tomorrow. the u.s. economy growing to 2% in the third quarter. we have jen psaki. she is part of obama for america. 2%, when you think? >> the economy has been through a very tough time over the past several years. the good news is the unemployment rate is at its lowest rate in five years. consumer confidence is at its highest rate in five years. martha: i asked her about about gdp. is 2% good enough? >> we think it needs to be growing faster. the president is the first person to say that. he says nearly everyday on the campaign trail, we have come too far to turn back now. that is why he put out a specific plan. he would love congress to act on that.

talking about his plan to create manufacturing jobs, help small businesses. we are ready to do this, we know we need to do more. bill: a lot of people say that plan amounts to nothing. >> i don't know who those people are. private sector economists have analyzed back and say that is not the case. mitt romney has not in the same. [talking over each other] bill: blitz come back to gdp. that is believed to have one at the moment. last quarter our economy grew at 2%. that is less the 5% that the white house projected when the stimulus was passed. how do you do not? >> we all know that the economy was surging and a much greater rate. taking a 9% before the president took office. nobody knew that at the time. we have a larger hole to dig out of them we thought. the question is where do we go from here?

>> romney is going to argue in iowa this afternoon that all of the parts of this demonstration have not worked. >> that is baloney. we have created 5.2 million jobs over 32 months. what is meant on his plan? has no plan. bill: he's going to say this is coming. it's like a haymaker, right? he's going to say 47 million people on food stamps, which is an increase of 15 million over four years. he is going to say $10 trillion dollars over four years coming out of $16 trillion debt. has he taken the upper hand now when it comes to an issue of the economy? >> absolutely not. we all knew the facts and the challenges we're facing. these challenges to the middle class have been building over decades. the question is when we doing from here. mitt romney likes to list off statistics are we all know about. but he has no specific plan.

he doesn't have a tax plan he can pay for. he can say anything he wants, but the question is what is he going to do to help the american people? bill: the reason why asked that question is that the abc news poll, 60% of americans. the situation in america is poor. that is the choice that they use. governor romney in that same poll was up 5244%, come back to again. are you losing on the issue of the economy today in the selection? >> absolutely not. the president is the first one to say that we need to do more. we have come too far back to turn back now. here are my specific plans and i want to do and that i want to put in place to move this country forward. in that same poll, people said they didn't trust mitt romney to understand what they were going for. middle-class families across the country don't think that he gets it. because he doesn't. so the question is who the american people fighting for them? bill: thank you. we will. martha: next week. hold that on your calendar.

>> i will. martha: that is the question. who did the american people fighting for them. let's get to the other side. we will bring in jim talent now, former republican senator from missouri. senator, welcome. great to have you this morning. >> good morning, micah. martha: you've heard that conversation. a nothing burger and baloney. what do you say? >> well, she really couldn't answer the question, but could she? you are right in pointing out that the president predicted economic growth to be 4.3%. now it is less than half of that. i do want to say that the entire drop in the unemployment rate is entirely attributable to people that have become so distressed that they are no longer looking for work. what is governor romney want to do? welcome to to lead items or tax reform, which we think will put 7 million jobs together over the

next four years. and a very aggressive plan to produce energy around the country. innovative ideas that nobody has talked about before, and that will create 3 million jobs. it makes common sense to believe that businesses will invest and grow more and he stopped suppressing the production of energy, we will get more energy with more jobs and lower prices. martha: when you look at the president's plan, it is a mission that he has been over and over about for four years. some companies have not been very successful. what is governor romney's plan and how would it be different? >> the difference is that the administration has been suppressing energy growth on federal lands. as governor romney said in the debate, they killed the keystone pipeline. they are pushing cap-and-trade. which the president himself said would cause the price of electricity to skyrocket. with as governor romney want to

do? one thing is to allow the state to license and permit the federal lands within their borders. they do it so much better. colorado leases land on average in 27 days per the federal government takes almost 300 days. he also has an aggressive plan to develop outer continental shelf resources beginning with the states they really want to do it. which is virgin and the carolinas. martha: governor romney got a lot of heat for this 47% comment. but it does beg the questions in terms of the number of people in the country who do except some kind of government benefit. what kind of impact it also has on him when they go to the voting booth and they say, you know what, i'm not too sure. i think governor romney wants to take away some of the benefits that i do see in the government and i don't want to sign up for that. bill: >> this is a governor who believes an opportunity for everybody. the wait for people to rise up economically and to support themselves and their family

instigated good job. that is what this cam about. it is a big choice that we have before us. the governor will talk about it in iowa today. martha: what will be the big take away in a speech? >> this is a huge election, we cannot afford four more years of this, and we have a big choice in front of us. we can go on with these broken promises, and the president's bigger promise to unite us instead of divide us -- he's going to talk about the choices and the turning point of the country is facing. martha: senator jim talent, thank you so much for being here. >> thank you, martha. bill: a closing argument on the number one issue, the economy,

coming out. and stunning new numbers on a number of people to get a check from the government. are we a nation on the dole? we will look at that next. martha: and she says she just wanted to speak her mind at a city council meeting. we will show you the rest of that when we come back.

bill: texas governor rick perry and greg abbott speaking out the no u.n. monitors will be part of any texas election process. take that. martha: staggering numbers of americans are collecting federal disability benefits according to the social security administration. this month, more than 8.8 million people are on the roll.

that means 17,000 more people are collecting since last month. so far, during president obama's first term, the number of workers collecting disability has increased by more than 1.3 million people. we are at a record for the united states in terms of how many of us are on disability benefits. you just wonder what could have provoked that way i am joined by matt mccall, who is the president of penn financial group. why is that? why are so many people disable now? >> but another is that many people disable. i think it's the fact that there are a lot of people having issues finding work. the situation of the president obama. it is not good and it it's getting worse. i think people are put in circumstances where this is the last resort. they can't find jobs.

they need to put food on the table for their families. so they file for disability insurance. even the cbo came out and said just this year they have seen a major increase in disability insurance applicants due to the fact of the economic downturn. see you can blame this directly on the economy. martha: once you get them, you are entitled to them really forever, right? >> exactly. once you get to basically go and sit on your couch and watch tv and live off the government. even though you may be in a state where you can actually go out and work and contribute to society. unfortunately, the way the government looks at us, martha, i think they look at it in a way that well, that's one more vote that we have. that's one more person to rely on us as the i the i honestly believe and think that. from a democratic standpoint, they have been pushing stability. look at the fact that food

stamps have risen 30% since osama took office. this is becoming a government where people are relying on the government to live. if the government has you in their hands, what else do they have? they also have about. martha: it goes back to a question i just asked senator silvo jim talent. we should point out that it it it it is deservedly so, no one has a bone to pick with that. but why would it be in 2012 with something more people are disabled in this country. i think that is worth asking. if you think that there's any inkling that that might change if you didn't vote for president obama, you're probably going to vote for him. >> exactly. it may be a cynical approach, but if you look at all the facts on the table, it's what i just said. the fact that the government is really pouring money out there to people to rely on them. and that is not the way the country is. i believe there are a lot of people out there that don't one of you in this situation, but they don't have any other option at this point. they come to a point where they have to put food on the table and support their family and they can't get a job. one way to change it, i go out

and i make the economy better. if the economy is better, these people would not need disability or two i'm government is much as martha: interesting and sad. all of those things. thank you very much, matt mccall. bill: this war rages inserted despite calls for a cease-fire for a muslim holiday. getting word that a car bomb exploding in a residential area of damascus to the capital city. reuters reporting a large car bomb exploding near a true children's playground. southern damascus, a large number of casualties. some of the activists opposing the government in the capital city reporting that spurred the bomb went off in the southern area of damascus. that is a sunni neighborhood. a number of buildings damaged, according to reports. when we get one back, we will

pass it to you. just coming across the reuters newswire at the moment. >> president obama getting a laugh at a clip of the defense cuts. they but they are no laughing matter for the u.s. navy. the president's comments could backfire on the campaign trail. martha: and an out-of-control city council meeting in california. why the police ended up putting this woman in handcuffs and dragging her out. >> you are pulling and jerking on my wrist.

martha: it was an unusual scene playing out at a city council meeting in riverside, california >> can you stand up? >> you are pulling on my arm when you do that -- i cannot get

up without putting my hands down martha: this woman is very unhappy. she was speaking at the meeting, she got concocted and arrested. she was handcuffed and very upset. >> may be, for example, have fewer ships and we did in 1916. we also have fewer forces and bayonets. because the nature of her military has changed. bill: a shrinking navy and what you mean to our national security is no laughing matter. governor romney's team is turning the punchline against the president by pointing out the dangers of defense cuts.

how has governor romney tried to turn this to his advantage? >> yes, he has tried to do so. you show that zinger on monday night, as it was called. it had a lot of people starting to talk. also, americans asking what the sequestration mean. it is budget cuts that are forced on the u.s. if that does happen come in the military is worried about the possibility that their numbers will go down, specifically the navy. what mitt romney has done, he has turned it into an advantage for him. even releasing a radio ad. take a listen. >> as president obama no how much this will hurt us? does his remarks view how president obama views the world and america's place in a? >> as you can see, trying to turn that original singer about the smaller fleet into something

he can use to his advantage. bill: at them, we have heard from both sides about this cut. what do the numbers show? >> a lot of people in the navy will tell you, even k.t. mcfarland, they still have to get from one place to another. to give you an idea and a perspective of how many ships are out there right now, the current navy status as this. after ships 287. they asked for 213. the number they settled on is about 200. the potential is down as low as 230. people are worried about that. the historical perspective on all of this is at the end of the bush administration, there were 278. there were a number under construction at the time, of course. at the end of the cold war back in 1991, there were once 529.

people on both sides have their argument. others say 300, while it is on the floor, it is a little bit less. >> we have limited resources. we don't have everything we want. the navy has used its resources to buy this bigger and better ship. that is meant to trade off of style. >> you start dropping down into the mid or low two hundreds. and i believe you are going to have to be asking the question, would we not want to be? because at some point, you simply run out of the numbers to generate the presence and thus places. >> governor romney is trying to make this a campaign topic right now, and it is something to watch very closely. no matter who wins the election. we will follow those numbers for you. it is a big concern for the navy as they continue their operations all around the globe.

the offenses, defensive, and humanitarian. it is military, it is strategy, and it is jobs. martha: we will be watching this all began. tracking hurricane sandy. is huge and deadly storm moving north. the threat that could combine with another system and slammed the east coast in the comingr ] days. an update on that storms movement is just moments away. stick around oh my goodness! oh my gosh, this looks amazing! that's a good deal! [ man ] wow! it is so good! [ male announcer ] our new maine stays! 15 entrees under $15, seafoodchicken and more! oo! the tilapia with roasted vegetables! i'mctually looking at the wd grilled chicken with portobello wine sauce. you so fascinated by the prices, you keep rambling on! i know! -that pork chop was great! -no more fast food friday's! so we gotta go! we're going to go to red lobster. yep. [ male announcer ] try our 15 under $15 menu and sea food differently!

bill: stunning images now. this is from nasa of hurricane sandy from space. this image captured from the international space station. look at the size of that storm. it might merge with another system later in the week which could make landfall along the east coast sometime early next week. that would be, that would be a trick, not a treat. martha: halloween, sandy all happening at the same time. how about this the former governator, arnold schwarzenegger to return to acting roots in a familiar role, right. he started as conan the barbarian in a pair of hit movies back in the '80s.

he will return for a new conan movie set 2014. he has been lining up a lot of work since leaving through the governor's office and tragedy and tumult from his family. has a new book out. we'll see how that works for the governator. bill: i heard he had a new book out. shocker. on monday we're live in ohio. southwestern part of the state, hamilton county. we'll get a gauge to figure out what the state is it thinking what they're feeling. we've been there three times the past few months. we started our tour in the northeast near stark county where romney and ryan will be later tonight. he went to the center part of the state, columbus and franklin county. now we two to the southwest. we get a true measure trying to pick up little anecdotal data points to tell us what the state is sympathying. martha: i will be in new york trying to break it down county by county. new jersey we're not sure about that one either. i will stay here and break down those counties for you and you do that in ohio. bill: we don't see any